Neither Quite Naked, Nor Quite Famous, But.

Didn’t Tricky once sing, “Everyone wants to be naked and famous”?

Here’s a trick for you to do:

Go to this page. Scroll down to the middle-ish of the page and click on “The Week in Photos” on the left sidebar. Watch the slideshow of a dozen photos. Be sure you make it all the way to Photo 12. Of all the pantsless subway cars in the world, jeez god.

I blame that girl.

Blort.

Well, my brain's fried.

The last week's been a journey of fantastic dimensions. Going back into grad school mode for four days was like getting hit with a cannonball in the chest. It was like getting blasted sideways into a completely different mode of life. A world parallel to this world. Weird.

It's not quite over yet, either, but we are winding down. The defense is officially on for February 9. I'll be buying a bus ticket soon, and getting ready to see Yoel and a few other friends again. If you are reading this please cross your fingers and silently hope that a travel-obliterating blizzard doesn't blanket the region on February 7 or 8.

In the meantime I'm salivating over the thought of all the other media I'll plug into my head once it isn't all Pynchon, all the time (and it has been: all Pynchon, all the time, for quite a long time now indeed).

In honor of the last incarnations of it, I present

Books We Wish We Were Reading: The Revenge.

• The 'Century Girl' book (I think the author has something to do with Smith mag?)
• Random Family, by Adrian Leblanc (she is a current MacArthur Fellow, right?)
• Steven Millhauser (I just read a short story by him in Tin House and it made me remember how much I liked Martin Dressler. Writing books that are basically about fanciful buildings and peoples' emotional reactions to them? Hottt)
• Time and Again (Meg says it is amazing)
• Motherless Brooklyn (seems like about time)
• Nancy Friday (taking back the Weird Feeling I got from what I now realize was her stuff, in a musty basement a very long time ago. Also as a godmother of personal media)
• Schopenhauer. Whichever one had those quotes abt art (comparing it to weeds, I think) that I was reading on that one science blog a while ago
• Open City
• The NYRB (mom got me a subscription but it's not here yet. I'm going to be so informed and middle-to-highbrow)

Yes, these last two are not books.

Books We Are Currently Reading:

• Dream Whip #14, by Bill Brown (Microcosm Publishing.) I should just get off my duff and write Bill Brown the fan letter I've been meaning to write him for years,. I was reading Dream Whip on the train today and thinking about Bill Brown and Al Burian, and how I'd happily read about the aimless travels of crackpot smart men for...well, how long you got?

I heard it might snow on Thursday.

Someday, Over the Rainbow

J. Stults on Gravity's Rainbow, 1/9/07:

"That book is like a month-long gynecological exam."

Right this second, I'm inclined to agree.

Abstruse Jokes For the Obnoxiously Over-Educated

Andy: "So...your thesis is about Gravity's Rainbow?"

Katherine: "Yeah."

Andy: "So what's the thrust?"

Ha.

Ha.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Aw.

Oh man.

Phew.

Taking Matters Into Our Own Pants

A week ago today, Improv Everywhere staged its 6th annual No Pants Subway Ride. Two hundred of us got together in Foley Square, broke into squadrons, boarded the 6 train, de-pantsed, waited on the platform for the next 6 train, and then rode up to 125th Street and back. I'm too busy to talk about how it made me feel, and stuff, so I'll just hit you with some pictures.

This one's pretty iconic.


This one and the next from sgoralnick's flickr set.

I like the waiting-on-the-platform shots best.


Gothamist has a few cute ones, here.

I found this not very flattering picture of myself doing the NYT crossword (and corrupting a minor--whoops) with Reed friend Tyler (who has nice thighs! and: of course we ran into other Reedies there) on a Reuters/Yahoo! News site. Scary.



This guy was on our train car and was the star of the whole thing, IMO. Much respect to the men who turned out in suits and briefs.



Wish I could find one of me and Meg doing the crossword, as that's how we spent most of the journey. We have never excelled with speed on a Sunday crossword like that before. I think it was the adrenalin and it makes me wonder if that's how I should approach my next difficult mental task.

In any case, I've never been photographed so much in my life, and I suppose that must be how famous people feel all the damn time.

I Don't Really Know What To Do With Her Novels, But This Is So Right

"To speak personally, the very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life."

-Zadie Smith

File Under: To-Do

"I think I should not literally, but figuratively take my pants off on the subway more often."

--Meg, January 14, 2007

Wednesday Night List

Will winter ever come?

Will I ever get back in shape again?

Will I ever hassle my thesis committee into shape and become a real Master of Arts?

Will I ever go back to school again, for anything?

Will I ever leave the place I'm working at, and if so, will it be for something awesome?

Will I ever write a book about it all?

Will I ever manipulate the capitalist system for my own ends, instead of feeling cyclically elated/deflated by consumerism?

Will it ever snow? Really, could it go a whole, entire winter without snowing??? New York, don't make me ask for the price of admission back, really.